nightly business report is made possible by: captioning sponsored by wpbt susie: good evening everyone. ben bernanke said today the u.s. economy is doing better, but higher gasoline prices could temporarily reduce consumer spending. the chairman of the federal reserve was on capitol hill speaking to congress, updating lawmakers on the state of the economy. in a word, tom, he sees modest growth. tom: susie, bernanke s comments came shortly after the government reported that the nation s economy grew by 3% in the last three months of last year higher than previously thought. also today? the central bank s survey of regional economi the beige book had some encouraging news. hiring is picking up, the housing market is improving, and manufacturing activity is expanding. susie: as for what the fed might do next to boost the economy? bernanke didn t give too many clues. darren gersh reports. reporter: sure, growth is about average now and unemployment is falling faste